December 2020 ~ A patch of mud becomes a bird feeder

 I have bird feeders set up on my smallholding. Whilst waiting and watching the various birds coming and going I noticed that there were a few wagtails through the gate on a patch of mud.  These appeared so regularly and they were attending as often as the blue tits and great Tits on the feeders.  It seems such an obvious thought but it just reminded me of how the whole natural environment is really a large feeding ground.  Where there is a large quantity of food there is always something that will regularly take advantage.

This pied wagtail enjoying a small invertebrate picked from the mud.

It gave me some great opportunities for some close images
 

This grey wagtail which is normally a bird of small rocky streams was also a regularly visitor.

These were another welcome distraction whilst watching the regular crew on my feeders.

November 2020 ~ Are white squirrels breeding and increasing?

 This is a question to which I am not sure of the answer.  Are grey squirrels that are pure white just a random aberration, or are they passing on their genes and increasing.  I posted a picture of a white squirrel and had lots of comments from locals about how long do they live, and where they had been seen in the past.  While I was watching them on my local patch suddenly I saw there were two.  This made me ask the question are they on the increase?  I would have thought that this white colouring would make them so obvious to predators that they would soon be wiped out.  After all I spotted this one from right across a large field.

Although they are non-native species and are said to do a lot of damage to woodlands, I have to admit that I did find them quite strikingly beautiful and enjoyed trying to capture these images.

Perhaps someone out there knows the answer to this question.

 

October 2020 ~ Kingfishers back in the local park

They were always there in the past but have been missing for quite a number of months.  It was really great to hear reports that they were being seen again. I decided to check this out, as they are such beautiful birds and I always find them exciting whenever I can capture a glance.  They often announce their presence with a whistle as they dart along. After a patient wait I got my first glance of the blue streak as it went straight under the bridge.  At least they were there!

I waited for an hour and saw them past through about five times but they never landed.  There are some tree branches that are in the water and it looks such a likely place to wait.  They were sure to land on them sometime.  The next visit there were a few guys I know well, so I knew that I was in the right place.

Sure enough they came and landed on the branches.  Really exciting and adrenalin filled.

This is one of its favourite and familiar perches. 

This is the male with the dark bill.  The female as everyone seems to know, has an orange lower bill. (Girls wear the lipstick! )

Soon there were many more images and every sighting is just so exciting.

I don't think I will ever take for granted the sighing of a Kingfisher.

Is this the most colourful British bird?  I for one think so!

September 2020 ~ "Egrets I've had a few"

 It's really amazing how nature really changes over the years.  I can remember seeing my first Little Egret at Combe Hill meadows quite a few years back.  It was very important and exciting, so much so that I remember texting home, as I was supposed to being going out somewhere.  "I shall have to wait there is a Little Egret walking toward the hide."  Now the birds are really increasing and colonising the UK.  At first Little Egrets were the most regularly seen.

This little Egret is fishing in a shallow lagoon.  It has black legs and bill with yellow feet.  There is often a long crest on show.

Cattle Egrets are also now seen regularly.  There were twelve seen to together at Slimbridge WWT recently.  They often hunt around cattle as their name suggests.  Waiting for the cattle to disturb insects as they go through the grass.

This Cattle Egret was taking a rest on an island preening its feathers.  Normally look out for them around cattle.  

The last one which is much rarer, but beginning to get seen more regularly is the larger Great White Egret.

The Great White Egret is a larger bird with a very long neck and yellow bill.  They tend to stalk around in wetlands in a ponderous nature not unlike the Grey Heron.

Have no regrets learn to recognise your egrets. 

~ There will soon be one coming to a pond near you! ~

September 2020 ~ Being flexible with the diet - a great survival technique

It struck me having photographed Whitethroats in May and then again in September how they can really completely change their diets.  They seemed so insectivorous in May, that I could not imagine how much they would relish berries in the Autumn.  This along with the migration to the Sahel in sub-Sahara Africa must be their great survival strategy.

In spring when there are young to feed, and they need to gather as much protein together as quickly as possible they feed on a diet of insects and spiders.

When it becomes cooler and there are less of these available, they readily switch to a diet of berries.

It is difficult to imagine that in a few weeks they will fly to Africa and even cross the Sahara desert. They are really lovely birds and I always look forwarded to seeing and hearing them on their return.

Good luck until next spring!

September 2020 ~ The Regularity of some migrants seems amazing

 It comes as quite a surprise but over the last few years I have to say that I am amazed over the consistency of some of the long distance migratory birds.  There is a particular hedge on my local patch where I regularly get migrant Spotted Flycatchers.  They never breed here but I see them every year.  I could perhaps understand if they were returning to a nest site or breeding area.  But this seems to be just a regular stop over on the migratory journey south.  I can just imagine when there are none around that if I said to someone if you look along this hedge in Late August early September there will be a party of Spotted Flycatcher hunting, they would look at me a bit incredulously.

If you look closely this one has his eye on the prize, a suicidal fly.  They watch intently every movement of flying insects.  Then they take off, snatch it from the air and quite often return to the same perch.

They are small brown birds, but to me they are very beautiful.  It's their behaviour and stature.

This one looks so proud and self confident.

That's probably the last time I will see them this year, but of course I can have a look along the hedge at the same time next year! 

If there is plenty of food I sometimes wonder why they don't stop and breed, that would be great, but ah well it's nice to see them every year even though they are just passing through.

August 2020 ~ Having a go at home-made hide photography

I thought it could be an idea to build a hide and have a go at using this in my small wood.  Generally I like to roam about quietly and see what I can come come across.  So setting out with a few pieces of cloth, some stakes and staples I had a go.  At first I got no results and it was not very comfortable and seemed to test my patience.  The first thing that came walking through was a female muntjac.  It was amazing how close it got and took no notice of me in the hide clicking away.  

It got so close that in the end I could not fit it all into the frame!

An hour later and the Juvenile newly fledged Common Buzzard alighted on a log pile.  It was so exciting to be so close to wild raptor.  

The hide only took about ten minutes to construct.

I remember reading somewhere that you can construct an hide out of basically any material and as long as you are well hidden, and to be fair this simple construction did seem quite effective.

 

When inside the hide a comfy camping type chair is a must!  The waiting can seem forever with occasionally interposed with great excitement. 

Here is to the community of nature lovers.

Keep getting out there!